- SpaceX rocket carries international crew
- Astronauts launch for six-month mission
- Experiments planned in microgravity environment
After a 16-hour flight, the astronauts are scheduled to rendezvous with the orbiting laboratory at an altitude of 420 kilometers (250 miles) above Earth on Tuesday. During their time in space, they will conduct countless experiments within the microgravity environment of the platform.
Four astronauts have embarked on a six-month mission in orbit around the International Space Station.
Sunday marked the launch of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral in Florida. Aboard the rocket were Alexander Grebenkin of Russia, NASA’s Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, Jeanette Epps, and Michael Barratt.
As it rose from the launch tower, the rocket’s nine Merlin engines were captured on camera bursting to life.
Tuesday, after a 16-hour voyage, the astronauts are scheduled to dock with the orbiting laboratory situated approximately 420 kilometers (250 miles) above the Earth’s surface.
The personnel will conduct approximately 250 experiments in the microgravity environment of the orbital platform.
They will succeed a crew that has been stationed there since August and is comprised of members from the United States, Denmark, Japan, and Russia.
After a three-day delay caused by strong winds, space station commander Andreas Mogensen inquired via X, “When are you already here?”
SpaceX Launch Overcomes Hurdles
On Sunday night, there was almost another postponement due to a last-minute flurry of reviews prompted by a small crack in the hatch seal of the SpaceX capsule; however, the entire mission was declared safe despite the delay.
NASA has transported its eighth long-duration crew aboard a SpaceX launch vehicle since May 2020, when the private rocket company, established by billionaire Elon Musk, commenced transporting American astronauts to orbit.
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During the stay of the new crew, two additional rocketships that were ordered by NASA arrived.
Test pilots for Boeing’s new Starliner aircraft are scheduled to arrive in late April.
Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser, a mini-shuttle, is scheduled to deliver cargo to the station but not passengers. It is anticipated to arrive within a month or two.
